Rotary brush apparatuses are frequently used in vehicle washes or vehicle wash systems for contacting, scrubbing, and cleaning exteriors of vehicles. These brushes typically include a rotary hub portion with an axis of rotation that is oriented parallel to a vehicle exterior and includes a plurality of media elements that are coupled to the hub portion, which are intended to engage the vehicle. As the rotary hub is driven about its axis of rotation, the plurality of media elements blossom generally outward (perpendicular with respect to the axis of rotation) due, in part, to centrifugal force, so that they can contact a vehicle exterior to remove dirt and debris and effectuate cleaning. To apply increased scrubbing and cleaning, the rotary hub can be rotated faster to increase the speed at which the media elements contact the vehicle exterior. This generally creates an increased slapping noise due to an increased force of contact between the media elements and the vehicle exterior, which can make the car wash experience unenjoyable for a user. Also, as the speed of the brush increases, the perception of potential damage to the vehicle exterior increases.
These rotary brush apparatus are configured such that the media elements are oriented generally perpendicular to the brush axis of rotation during use. As such, as the rotary hub is driven, the media elements only contact the vehicle exterior in a single direction, which limits the cleaning capabilities of the media elements and thus the effectiveness of the wash process. For example, with respect to a conventional side brush apparatus, as the hub rotates, the media elements are configured to contact a side exterior surface of the vehicle in only one direction, i.e., a front to back direction. In other words, the media elements contact a forward part of the exterior surface and move backward along the vehicle exterior before losing contact therewith. As such, any force applied to the vehicle exterior to remove dirt and debris is applied on only a single direction.
While rotary brushes having an axis of rotation which is oriented generally perpendicular to a vehicle exterior are also known, these brushes are only used to clean vehicle wheels as they employ hard or rigid media elements, such as synthetic bristles. As the bristles will mar a painted surface, they are not suitable for cleaning or treating a vehicle exterior. Moreover, these rotary brush assemblies also include a rigid hub or backing portion. Thus, if the media elements secured to these rigid structures encounter angled or curved exterior vehicle surfaces, the brush assemblies cannot accommodate these variations and thus are not suitable for use for cleaning a vehicle exterior for this additional reason.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a rotary brush apparatus that yields improvements over these deficiencies.